Nearly a thousand bike enthusiasts flocked to the park to enjoy the grand opening festivities, which included live music, course demonstrations by over a dozen professional riders, and special presentations by County Supervisor Greg Cox, Executive Director of the San Diego Mountain Biking Association (SDMBA) Susie Murphy, and Interim Director for County Parks, Jason Hemmens.

Course designer Deven Schneider of Schneider Grading provided commentary and course descriptions while riders demoed each attraction, which included two flow trails, three jump lines and a pump track. On the last ride, Joey Cordova landed a jump and rode through a giant red banner – effectively cutting the ‘red ribbon’ and opening the park the public.

Other onsite attractions include a skill zone, kid zone, perimeter trail and several shaded picnic areas – making the venue an ideal spot for meet-ups and special events.  

“This park is a perfect example of the County’s Live Well vision to support a healthy, safe and thriving community,” said Supervisor Cox. “Riders of all ages will get a workout as they fine-tune their skills on a variety of increasingly challenging attractions.”

The free, publicly accessible, 4.2-acre bike skills park cost $1.9M. The park will teach visitors about cycling as a healthy means of recreation and transportation, and will engage youth to encourage them to get involved in healthy outdoor pursuits. I will be open seven days a week, from 9:30 a.m. until sunset (unless otherwise posted).

“It’s a beautiful day in San Diego and here we are, outside, truly living the ‘upside of outside,’ which is something park staff get to do every day,” said Jason Hemmens, adding, “We are incredibly excited for this opportunity to open a new amenity for everyone to experience and enjoy.”

This was a collaborative effort of many partners; we would like to express gratitude to our event sponsors: TREK, ZOIC Clothing and the San Diego County Parks Society; and to our partners SDMBA and Child Development Associates whose contributions helped cover both capital and maintenance costs.

To see pictures and video from the grand opening event, visit the Sweetwater Bike Park Facebook Page.

For media inquiries, contact Jessica Geiszler at 858-255-9992 or jessica.geiszler@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Park questions may be directed to the Sweetwater team at 619-472-7572.